You may recall that for centuries people believed Aristotle was right
when he said that the heavier an object, the faster it would fall to
earth. The philosopher was regarded as one of the greatest thinkers of
all time, and so it follows that he MUST be right!

But nearly 2,000 years after Aristotle's death someone actually tested
the theory. In 1589 Galileo Galilei summoned learned professors to the
base of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. He pushed two weights from the top
of the tower -- one light and one heavy. They landed at the same
instant. But the power of belief was so strong that the professors
denied their eyesight! They continued to teach that Aristotle was
correct.

Galileo and others also tried to convince the educators of his day
that the earth revolves around the sun. But they would not believe
anything so radical and eventually forced him to recant his support of
the Copernican theory. He lived the last years of his life under house
arrest.

Erwin M. Soukup compiled a list he calls "The Seven Steps to
Stagnation." You have no doubt heard these statements before. Most of
us have said them! They are:

1. We've never done it that way before.
2. We're not ready for that.
3. We are doing all right without trying that.
4. We tried it once before.
5. We don't have money for that.
6. That's not our job.
7. Something like that can't work.

There is tremendous power in belief. Our beliefs shape our future;
what we believe to be true quite literally becomes true for us!

And there is a bold and exciting tomorrow awaiting anyone with the
courage to believe something new CAN HAPPEN -- things CAN BE
DIFFERENT! Your life -- your organization -- can be stagnant or things
can change. Tomorrow can look very different than today for those who
believe.